Lubbock High, Coronado sort out issues in scrimmage

Shallowater, Cooper scrimmage cut short

In five games as a freshman quarterback last season, Christian Hayes threw for 1,252 yards, ran for 564 yards and combined for 19 touchdowns.

Still, he might not end up as Coronado’s starting quarterback.

The Mustangs quarterback situation, which will play out over one more scrimmage, and Lubbock High working tall receivers into its secondary were two of the storylines that were furthered in a scrimmage Friday at Lowrey Field, with each team scoring two touchdowns.

Senior J.T. Morris, who played safety last season, started at quarterback for Coronado and handed off several times early, hitting a tight end in stride across the middle for a long gain on the first drive.

“(Morris) is a very smart kid,” Coronado coach Seth Parr said. “He’s stayed after and done everything extra. He wanted to learn the playbook. He got it and wanted to meet with me all the time. Just the effort he’s put into wanting to learn the offense has been impressive.”

Morris was relieved by Hayes, a smaller, lithe player that linked up with one of his wideouts for a touchdown on a fade for Coronado’s first score. The Mustangs will keep the no-huddle offense used by Kent Jackson, now the Seminole coach, but with an air-raid focus, a change Parr called unfair for Hayes.

“(Hayes’ numbers from last year) really mean nothing,” Parr said. “He’s an exceptional athlete, but it’s a completely different offense than what we do. The learning process, he’s done everything he can do. He’s going to be an unbelievable player, but it’s a learning curve.”

Lubbock High quarterback James Garcia, who recovered from a season-ending knee injury in week two of last season, wore a knee brace but moved well, evading several defenders and stepping up into the pocket before connecting with Levi Zen for the Westerners’ first score.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” Lubbock High coach Jason Strunk said. “We go as James Garcia goes. If he’s healthy this year, we are going to be fine. We’ll be alright. He just makes plays.” Lubbock is experimenting with playing receivers Devante Greathouse, Jacob Bayouth, and Jordan High — players all 6-foot-4 or taller at cornerback or safety.

“We call them our 1.5 kids,” Lubbock High defensive coordinator Nathan Jephcott said. “Basically, some of them will play all the defensive snaps and some of the offensive snaps.”

Jephcott expressed no concern in the tackling ability of his wideouts in the secondary, particularly against run heavy teams, and said their coverage ability on fades is important in a schedule heavy on pass-happy teams.

“I was telling one of the coaches I used to work it, ‘you’re not going to believe what our secondary looks like,’ ” Jephcott said. “We’ve got kids that are 6-foot-5, that are receivers, that are going to play safety. It’s nice to have big tall guys if you put them out on the ends.”

Parr and Strunk expressed the value scrimmages provide in giving their players game-like conditions, but both admitted to not being huge proponents of them: Strunk, for them not being an actual game, and Parr for having limited time to prepare his team since his arrival in May.

“What I’m looking for myself is how physical we are,” Strunk said. “If we have to get over the mental toughness hurdle.”

Parr had workouts with his team in the spring but has had just nine days this fall to install his schemes.

“I just want to see if we can run a play,” Parr said. “It’s kind of hard on the kids to execute. They know what to do on paper, but when the ball is snapped, it’s repetition.”

Cooper visited Shallowater for a scrimmage Friday that was cut short after the first quarter by rain and lightning.

Shallowater coach Kyle Maxfield, who returns just one starter and another who saw minimal time last season, saw positive play from his offensive line, which is entirely new.